Accreditation

Accreditation as a Mediator in Australia

It is not legally necessary to be “accredited” or “qualified” in order to practise as a mediator. Anyone can put up advertising and practise as a mediator in Australia.

The three exceptions to the proposition are:

1. Some organisations require that their mediators have certain qualifications before they will hire those mediators.
2. If a mediator wants to advertise with the words “Nationally accredited mediator”, (s)he must first attend a highly regulated 38 hour course, plus a very specific competency based performance assessment and role play before a nationally accredited coach; and register successfully with a “Registered Mediator Accreditation Body” (RMAB) in Australia.
3. If a mediator of family disputes wants also to issue certificates under s60I of the Family Law Act, (s)he must obtain accreditation as a “Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner” (FDRP) with the Federal Attorney General by completing all requirements to obtain that accreditation.

Obtaining National Mediator Accreditation by undertaking Bond University DRC courses

Bond University Dispute Resolution Centre regularly provides training courses which can lead to registration as a nationally accredited mediator with one of the many RMAB's in Australia. The following two steps will meet the requirement for accreditation in this area:

1. Four day 'Basic Mediation' training course; plus
2. Two day Mediator Assessment Course, conducted before a panel of assessors

Note: Completion of both courses is compulsory to meet the strict requirements of national mediator accreditation, and the courses must be completed within nine months of each other.

Obtaining Accreditation as a Family Mediator ("FDR Practitioner") by undertaking Bond University DRC courses

To comply with the strict requirements for accreditation as a family mediator (FDR Practitioner) in Australia, Bond University Dispute Resolution Centre offers a further course:

Five day short course 'Family Dispute Resolution (Legislation and Skills)'

If this course is undertaken, following successful completion of the Basic Mediation Course and the 2 day Mediator Assessment course plus 10 hours of supervised FDR mediation practice, students can then apply for accreditation as an FDRP.

Note: Students must organise their own placement for at least 10 hours of supervised FDR practice; and provide a supervisor's report to Bond University certifying that the student has completed 10 hours of supervised family dispute resolution mediations. This supervisor's report is a pre-requisite to completing the Bond Family Dispute Resolution (Legislation and Skills) course (LAWS73-786)